Early Education and Childcare

Debate between Gareth Snell and Stephen Morgan

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Morgan]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right about the valuable role that childminders play in the childcare we are delivering across our country. We have seen the number of childminders halve in recent years, which is why we are investing in their workforce. They are key to our plan for change, and we are committed to working with the sector to deliver the changes that we set out at the election.

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

I think the whole House can welcome the investment that has been announced today. We know that going through early education makes young people more ready for school, and closing the school readiness gap also closes the attainment gap later on in education settings. When I visit primary schools across Stoke-on-Trent Central, the one thing they tell me is that they are bursting at the seams—they are full. Will the Minister set out what conversations he has had, either inside the Department or between his Department and the Treasury, about identifying the capital funding necessary to ensure that schools have the high-quality physical spaces in which these nurseries will be based?

[Stephen Morgan]

I know my hon. Friend is a real champion for encouraging children to learn and to engage in their local community, and I have met him to discuss the work we are doing on literacy, and I am very happy to take away the points he raises. We are investing in the school-based nursery programme and in school capital funding. If he has particular examples that he wants me to follow up on in the Department, I am very happy to do so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gareth Snell and Stephen Morgan

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Morgan]

Last year, the right hon. Lady’s Government claimed that action on mobile phones was prohibiting their use in schools and that guidance meant

“a consistent approach across all schools.”

Those are their words. In backing the Tory Government’s measures, was she wrong then, or is she wrong now?

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

11. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for sixth-form colleges.[R]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gareth Snell and Stephen Morgan

Monday 9th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

6. What information her Department holds on the number of private schools that closed in England between 11 May 2010 and 5 July 2024.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Excluding private special schools, around 50 private schools close each year. There are a range of reasons for closure, including financial viability and departmental action where schools are not meeting required standards. Some 1,102 private schools closed between 11 May 2010 and 5 July 2024. It is also worth noting that the number of pupils in private schools increased in 2023-24, and that there has been a net increase of 13 private schools over that period.

[Gareth Snell]

St Joseph’s preparatory school, a small fee-paying independent school in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is closing its doors at the end of this year after a period of financial viability questions. What support will the Department offer the city council and parents in Stoke-on-Trent to ensure that those children can still access first-class education?

[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and welcome him back to this place. He is a tireless champion for children in his constituency and regularly speaks up on local schools. I am aware of the situation at St Joseph’s preparatory school. Private schools are of course businesses that are responsible for their own finances, but the Department stands ready to assist. The Government are committed to high and rising standards in schools, and I hope that we can work together to achieve that.